Transforming Truesdales
by Magi Mana
Summary: Talesverse. Three-shot. Zane and Syrus love the Transformers. How will the original movie and its soundtrack affect them growing up? Spoilers for the 1986 Transformers movie and series.
1. Transformers

_**So a couple of weeks ago, I went with my brother to see the 1986 Transformers movie in theaters. That spurred the idea for this story with the question 'How would Zane and Syrus react to this?" I'd already thought Transformers would be a great show for both brothers to love and could provide a source of brotherly bonding. This will have some SPOILERS to the movie and original series. In case anyone who cares wants to watch them. Although since the movie came out 32 years ago, I'm not sure how much I can spoil at this point. But you have been warned.**_

 _ **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Transformers. All credits go to Kazuki Takahashi, Hasbro, and all other parties involved.**_

Transformers

" _Transformers! Robots in disguise! Transformers! More than meets the Eye! Autobots rage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons!"_

Six-year-old Syrus Truesdale sang along with the opening of the original _Transformers_ cartoon. His brother Zane swayed back and forth, the widest grin on his face. Every day after school, the brothers would watch _Transformers: Animated_ and then pop in their DVDs of the original series. After almost two seasons of the original and one of _Animated_ , the Truesdales were hooked.

"Go, Optimus!" Zane cheered on the Autobot leader.

"Beat those Decepticons!" Syrus encouraged the transforming heroes.

"YEAH!" Both boys pumped their fists into the air when the Autobots managed to save the day in the nick of time.

"Zane, Syrus, it's time for dinner," their mother called.

"Coming!" they yelled back. They frowned and turned the TV off.

* * *

"Okay, Sy, this is it," Zane said as he tore the plastic wrapping off their new copy of _Transformers: the Movie_. "This has gotta be the most epic movie ever made. Are you ready?"

"Yeah!" Syrus narrowed his eyes at his brother. Just because Zane was a whole eight years old didn't mean Syrus couldn't keep up. "They're gonna kick Megatron's butt!"

Zane grinned and pressed play. _"Transformers! Robots in disguise! Transformer! More than meets the eye! Autobots rage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons!"_

"Woah, that one's so cool!" Syrus exclaimed at the new character Hot Rod.

"Optimus is still better," Zane said. He held up his Optimus Prime toy as proof.

"But Hot Rod is almost like Bumblebee from _Animated_!" Syrus argued.

"Who's still not as cool as Optimus," Zane insisted. Nothing would convince him otherwise.

They leaned forward, scooting closer and closer to the edge of the couch as the battle raged on. "No, Hot Rod!" Syrus cried when the energetic Autobot was used as a shield by Megatron.

"Optimus!" Zane yelled when Megatron shot him.

They leaned close together as the battle ended, fear running through them. The battles always ended with the Autobots winning. Yes, they won, and Megatron was probably down for good, but… "Optimus?" Zane whimpered.

Tears welled in both brothers' eyes as Optimus struggled to hand the Matrix of Leadership to Ultra Magnus. Once the artifact was in his successor's hands, Optimus fell limp and turned gray.

Syrus clung to his brother as Zane hit the pause button. "Is he gone, Zane?" the younger Truesdale asked.

"I… I don't know," Zane hugged him.

"What's wrong?" Their mother walked in. Candace Truesdale tucked a lock of navy hair behind her ear as she took in her sons crying on the couch. "You two have been looking forward to this movie all week."

"They killed Optimus," Zane whimpered, hugging his toy.

"I see," Candace looked to the still image of the dark gray Prime. She knew what that character meant to her sons, especially Zane. She sat on the couch between them and pulled them close, an arm wrapped around each boy. This wasn't how she imagined having this talk with them. "I know you're sad. It's okay. It's sad when people we love die. But even though they aren't with us anymore, we can still think of all the good times we had with them. And you boys can watch all the other episodes with Optimus Prime in them and remember why you love him so much. And I'm sure that's what the other Autobots will do."

"Okay," the boys brushed tears from their eyes.

"How about this?" Candace took the remote from Zane. "Why don't I stay with you, and we finish the movie? I'm sure it will have a happy ending."

"Sure," Syrus and Zane leaned against her. She pressed play.

Unicron was certainly terrifying as it sent Galvatron after Ultra Magnus and the Autobots. Syrus smiled every time Hot Rod came into view, still loving the cocky rookie. After Ultra Magnus was reassembled, the boys started bouncing to the beat of the music as the Autobots started to win against Unicron and the remaining Decepticons.

"I told you Hot Rod would be awesome!" Syrus looked to Zane as the rookie transformed into Rodimus Prime.

"Shut up," Zane pouted and looked away, clutching his Optimus toy.

Despite losing their favorite hero, the movie did have a satisfying ending. Unicron was defeated, and the war ultimately turned in favor of the Autobots. "See, what'd I tell you?" Candace smiled at her sons. "It turned out well, and those Autobots are going to keep Optimus and the others in their hearts forever."

"Yeah," the boys smiled at her.

"Mom?" Syrus turned hopeful gray eyes on her. "Can I have a Rodimus Prime toy?"

* * *

" _Transformers! Robots in disguise! Transformers! More than meets the Eye! Autobots rage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons!"_

"YES!" Zane cheered at the title of the season three finale: 'The Return of Optimus Prime.' He held his toy higher than Syrus's Rodimus. "He's coming back!"

"I'm not going to fall for it again," Syrus protested. "Remember what happened last time?"

"But this one's the title," Zane insisted. "I just know he's going to come back." He folded his Optimus into its semi-truck mode and started driving it over the arm of the couch."

"It would be cool if they teamed up," Syrus folded his Rodimus and drove it alongside Zane's toy.

"But he can't be Rodimus Prime if he gives the Matrix back to Optimus," Zane pointed out.

"Maybe they can share it?" Syrus suggested.

"Sure," Zane grinned.

They put their toys back into robot form as the Hate Plague spread through the galaxy. "Come on, guys!" Syrus pleaded the remaining Autobots.

"Yeah!" Zane pumped his fists in the air when Optimus awoke, alive and well. "Go, get them, Optimus!"

The brothers couldn't stop smiling when the Autobots triumphed again. Optimus was alive, Hot Rod was still awesome, and the Decepticons were on the run. All was right with the universe.


	2. Dare

_**So this is falls into the realm of Tales of Academia, at least in terms of the characters appearing in this story. I know Tales isn't at this point in the story, but I promise there are no spoilers in terms of what will be happening during the next school year. This particular chapter is the group the night before Syrus's promotion duel to Ra Yellow. Also, I do really think the lyrics of "Dare" fit Syrus really well.**_

 _ **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Transformers, or "Dare" (or any other series referenced). All rights go to Kazuki Takahashi, Stan Bush, Hasbro, and all other parties involved.**_

Dare

"I can't believe you guys have never watched _Transformers_ before," Syrus said as he put the disc for the movie into the portable DVD player.

"It's not that I never saw anything from it before," Mana Muto said. "I saw the first of the live-action movies, and I was just 'eh.' I liked Optimus and the other Autobots, but the humans were kind of annoying. And the romance between them just felt forced. I would have rather focused on the robots. I mean, Megatron was supposed to be this big, terrifying enemy, and I was just kind of underwhelmed. The scariest thing he could do was step on the humans. And then he was just dead. That's not scary."

"And this is coming from the girl who gets scared at a haunted house," Max Wheeler laughed.

"Shut up, Max," Mana snapped. "I don't see you doing any better when you insist on watching those monster movies every Halloween."

"Guys, please," Max's cousin, Joan Taylor, attempted to pacify the two.

"So what kind of villain would you go for?" Jaden Yuki asked.

"Aside from the Shadow Riders we faced last year, someone who gives me a legitimate reason to be afraid of them," Mana answered. "Top of the list is General Grievous from _Star Wars_. He's freaky looking, has four lightsabers to everyone else's one or two, and he could turn pretty much anyone he wanted into lunch meat." She held up a finger with each point she made. "I may be getting better at magic, but I wouldn't stand a chance against him."

"Adam Taurus," Joan answered, referencing her favorite web series, _RWBY_. "He's not someone I really want to mess with."

"Chaotic Evil goddesses in RPGs," Max chimed in. "They're crazy, unpredictable, and likely to kill you for looking at them wrong. The one time Amane and I encountered one in a campaign with her dad, the goddess killed us on sight. Last time I pick a fight with a deity."

"Guys, they're just stories," Jaden put his hand behind his head and leaned back. "They can't actually hurt us."

"Jaden's right," Alexis Rhodes agreed. She popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

"But they can haunt our dreams," Mana pointed out. She noticed the player loaded, and the main menu popped up on the screen. "I do like this series way better than that movie. So is this supposed to be the climax?"

"It's a turning point," Syrus answered, remembering when he and Zane first watched it when they were little. He loved Hot Rod on sight, but that came with a cost. "Are you guys ready?"

"Bring it on," Max grinned. He swiped a handful of popcorn from Alexis's bowl and shoved it into his mouth.

"Hey!" the blonde pulled her bowl away. "Get your own."

"I had my own," the Slifer freshman showed his empty dish."

"Max!" Mana chastised him. "That was supposed to last the three of us through the movie!"

"You guys start," Joan sighed. "I'll go make more." She took her cousin's bowl and left the room.

Syrus hit play, and he let his head bob to the familiar tune of the opening. Once "Dare" started playing, he found himself mouthing the words as Hot Rod and Kup charged into battle.

"Hold up," Mana noticed what he was doing. "Syrus, are you lip syncing?"

"No," he denied.

"Sy, I saw you," Mana narrowed his eyes at him.

"What did you see?" Joan returned with two full bowls of popcorn.

"Okay, fine," Syrus relented. "Yes, I was. "Dare" is my favorite song. The theme with the Matrix is Zane's favorite."

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Mana told him. "I just didn't expect it from you. Haven't you heard Joan belt out every song she plays while she's tinkering? Or me when anything Disney comes on?"

"Yeah, we've heard you two," Jaden chimed in. "Joan sings pretty well. Mana, not so much."

"Hey!" Mana glared at the relaxed Slifer. She turned back to Syrus. "Does Zane sing along too?"

"Way back when he did," Syrus answered. "Every day we'd watch the show and play with the toys Mom got us. Zane's favorite was always Optimus."

"I can see why," Tyranno Hassleberry finally voice his opinion. "He's a military guy who always saves the day. Anyone would respect him."

"I never would have thought Zane was into this," Alexis chimed in.

"Can we continue the movie, please?" Joan asked, holding up the remote to show she'd hit pause. The others nodded, and she resumed the show.

"No way!" Max yelled as Optimus turned dark gray, signifying his death.

"Are you kidding me?" Mana's voice was equally loud. "Did they seriously just kill him?"

"Yep," Syrus gave a half-smile at his friends' reactions. The part of him that spent too much time with Jaden and Mana enjoyed their surprise. While not as vocal, the other four had equally shocked expressions. He'd expected them to be surprised. Nothing could have prepared him for it the first time he'd watched it with Zane.

Unlike that day, they didn't have to pause the movie to process their feelings. They were old enough to understand why things had to happen and could deal with it. "Okay, Unicron is terrifying," Mana commented as the moon tormented Galvatron and then transformed into his robot form. "He's a much better villain than that live-action Megatron. Though I never thought I'd hear Spock turn evil."

"Yeah, Leonard Nimoy is awesome here," Max grinned. "I hope Galvatron makes it so he can terrorize the Autobots next season."

"Well fun fact about Unicron," Syrus grinned. "You guys have heard of Orson Welles, right?"

"Heard the name," Max said. "I want to say he did some movies and such, but I couldn't tell you which ones."

"Yeah, and Unicron was his last role," Syrus told them. "He died shortly after he finished recording Unicron's lines."

"Man, there's a lot of death with this movie," Mana commented. She leaned forward as Hot Rod and Galvatron squared off. "Go, Hot Rod! Kick his mechanical butt!"

Syrus grinned at the familiar scene of Hot Rod transforming into Rodimus Prime at Optimus's urging. Uniting all the Autobots, they defeated Unicron once and for all.

"Okay, that was cool," Max said.

"I still can't believe they killed off Optimus," Mana pouted. "If it were a comic book movie, I'd argue their death logic, but there was a body, so he's definitely dead."

"And you'll hate the real reason why," Syrus smirked.

"What is it?" Jaden asked.

"The show was mainly made to sell the toys," he answered. "They got to the point of releasing a new line toys, and they wanted people to be interested in the new stuff. So they had to get rid of all the older characters. Bye-bye Optimus and everyone else who died in that movie."

"That's depressing," Joan commented.

"So do we want to keep watching?" Mana asked. "It's your call, Syrus. You're the one with the big duel tomorrow."

"Thanks for reminding me," Syrus sighed. He'd managed to shut out his duel with Missy Underwood. If he won, he'd advance to Ra. "You guys watch what you'd like. I'm going to take a walk." He slipped his iPod into his pocket and left the dorm.

He put his earbuds in and hit play, and the familiar chords of "Dare" rang in his ears. Before he met Jaden and the others, this song was his main source of motivation. It gave him enough courage to take the Academy entrance exams and follow in Zane's footsteps.

 _Sometimes when your hopes have all been shattered_

 _There's nowhere to turn_

 _You wonder how you keep going_

 _Think of all the things that really matter_

 _And the chances you've earned_

 _The fire in your heart is growing_

 _You can fly if you try leaving the past behind_

 _Heaven only knows what you might find_

He had almost broken several times last year, fearing the darkness of Zane's shadow. They'd changed from the boys who played with toy robots. Zane grew into someone full of confidence, someone everyone respected and awed. He was rivaled only by the Prince of Games himself. Zane was a true champion.

And Syrus? He was duelist too, but his skill wasn't on par with Zane's. Power Bond was his biggest advantage, and it was one of Zane's signature cards. He'd finally overcome his fear of using it, but how was that making him stand out?

Would he ever be seen as anything other than Zane's little brother?

 _Dare_

 _Dare to believe you can survive_

 _You hold the future in your hand_

 _Dare_

 _Dare to keep all your dreams alive_

 _It's time to take a stand_

 _You can win if you dare_

Syrus clenched his fist. If he didn't do anything, then Zane's little brother is all he would be. He took out Power Bond. It definitely was his best spell. It enabled him to fly and save him and Jaden from the Paradox brothers. He loved the thrill UFOroid Fighter gave when it blasted the Dark Guardian and wiped out the rhymers' LifePoints.

He had dared to play it, and it payed off.

 _Everybody's trying to break your spirit_

 _Keeping you down_

 _Seems like it's been forever_

 _There's another voice if you'll just hear it_

 _Saying it's the last time_

 _Looks like it's now or never_

 _Out of the darkness you stumble into the light_

 _Fighting for the things you know are right_

Syrus placed the card back in his deck. It wasn't what really pushed him forward. It was the people he left in his dorm room. Jaden, Mana, and Chumley all encouraged him last year, pushing him to not give up on himself. Even when he tried to raft away from the school to give Jaden a better chance at staying, they charged in after him and then picked a fight with Zane. Yeah, Jaden lost, but learning the combo Jaden had ready to use on his next turn has Syrus in awe. One more move, and someone other than Atem Muto would have defeated Zane.

And Mana, ever the optimist. Even when she had her own fears and anxieties, she tried to cheer them up. Syrus still remembered her telling him to shut up and listen before the tag duel. It didn't matter what everyone else thought. He had to believe in himself

 _Dare_

 _Dare to believe you can survive_

 _The power is there at your command_

 _Dare_

 _Dare to keep all your dreams alive_

 _It's time to take a stand_

 _You can win if you dare_

Syrus would win. Tomorrow he would face Missy and her insects, and take his first step out of his brother's shadow. And he'd do it without Power Bond. Whatever happened, it would be his own skills, his own strength. The Vehicroids wouldn't let him down. Not after all he'd been through with them.

He took out Power Bond again. To make sure he wouldn't use it, he'd hand it off to someone. He wouldn't be tempted then. He scrolled through his list of friends. Mana, Jaden, and Max would insist he keep it. Joan or Alexis might work, but they might tell the others, which would lead back to why he wouldn't give it to them. He still wasn't sure what to think of Hassleberry—he missed Chumley. Maybe Chazz… Chazz would tease him, but he also wouldn't give the card back. _All right, so before I head to the duel, I'll give the card to Chazz_.

 _Dare_

 _Dare to believe you can survive_

 _You hold the future in your hand_

 _Dare_

 _Dare to keep all your dreams alive_

 _The power is there at your command_

 _Dare_

 _Dare to keep all your love alive_

 _Dare to be all that you can be_

 _Dare_

 _There is a place where dreams survive_

 _It's calling you on to victory_

 _Dare_

 _Dare_

Syrus slipped Power Bond into his side deck for now and looked out to the sea. As the song came to an end, he started to wonder what Zane was up to. His first professional duel was in a month. Syrus hadn't heard who it was going to be; he only knew for sure it wasn't Atem based on what Mana had heard from her brother.

The chords of "The Touch" started to play, and suddenly Syrus wanted to do something for his brother. He scrolled through his PDA and found some pictures from last year. Most had him with Jaden, Mana, and Chumley. A handful had Bastion, Chazz, and Alexis, and even fewer had Atem and Zane. An idea coming to mind, he turned off the music and headed back to the dorm.


	3. The Touch

**_Like with "Dare" fitting Syrus, I think "The Touch" fits Zane. This is the conclusions of this story about the bond between the Truesdale brothers._**

 ** _I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Transformers, or "The Touch." All rights go to Kazuki Takahashi, Stan Bush, Hasbro, and all other parties involved._**

The Touch

Zane sprawled on the bed in his hotel room. It was nice, considering he hadn't actually made his pro dueling debut. The king-size bed was comfortable, there was a long list of channels he had access to, and the room had free Wi-Fi. There wasn't much else he needed. Now if only he could get word on whom he was going to face.

Someone knocked on the door. "Delivery for Zane Truesdale," a guy said. Zane opened the door to a mailman. In his hand he held a small box. The mailman handed him the package. "Enjoy the rest of your day," he said.

"Thanks," Zane said to his retreating form. Turning the envelope over, he recognized his brother's handwriting. Zane closed the door and sat at the table. He tore open the envelope, revealing a DVD case and a folded slip of paper. He started with the letter, also filled with Syrus's handwriting.

 _Hey, Zane,_

 _I hope things are going well. I mainly wanted to wish you luck in your match. I just know you're going win. You're Zane, after all. One of Duel Academy's legends._

 _Things are going well here, or at least as well as they can with Jaden and Mana leading the way. Chancellor Sheppard is on leave, so Dr. Crowler is filling in with the new Vice Chancellor Bonaparte. Let's just say those two feel the same about the Slifer dorm as they ever did._

 _Atticus drives Alexis crazy almost every day. She even moved in with Mana to get away from him. It surprises me how close you and Atem were with him with how he acts. He and Mana have been brought to Crowler's office several times for pranks they did on their own and together. If they keep this up, you and Atem might have to come back to keep them in line._

Zane rolled his eyes. Somethings never change. He and Atem could barely keep Atticus under control when he got one of his crazy ideas. It was a miracle the two of them never got detention with Atticus's antics.

 _Bastion's about the same, always working his formulas. Who knows when he'll finish his perfect deck? Chazz is still in Slifer with us. He even has a roommate this year, even though he hates it. His roommate's pretty cool. Max is a friend of Atem and Mana's. You met his cousin Joan at Spirit Day last year—she's Mana's roommate._

 _Jaden and I also got a new roommate. Sort of. He's a Ra freshman who dueled Jaden earlier, and he decided he could learn a lot following Jaden around. He's sure not Chumley, and I'm not sure how much I like him yet._

 _And as for me, well… I got promoted to Ra Yellow._

Zane stopped and read the sentence again. His mouth curled into a smile. Syrus was stepping out.

 _Yeah, it happened a couple of weeks ago. Crowler and Bonaparte had me duel Missy Underwood. You probably remember her. She's a third-year this year, and she's got it real bad for you. If she won, they promised to let her go pro. I got promoted to Ra for winning. But I'm still living in the same room with Jaden. I can't leave him and the others behind._

"Nor should you, Sy," Zane said to the letter. It was obvious to anyone who knew his brother that Jaden played a huge role in Syrus's success. More than Zane ever did last year.

 _Anyway, we're all doing well, and we wish you the best of luck in your upcoming duel. The DVD is to show you our support. I got the idea for it the night before my duel with Missy. We ended up watching the_ Transformers _movie—which you can probably guess how the others reacted._

Yeah, Zane could.

 _I got Mom, Atticus, Chumley, and Atem to help, and Max did the editing. Apparently he's a wiz when it comes to video projects. He had the whole thing edited three days after we got all the material. Hope you like it._

 _Love,_

 _Syrus._

Zane raised an eyebrow at the DVD case. Anything that had Atticus's touch made him suspicious, but Syrus had no follow through with pranks. All of his Academy detentions came from Jaden's antics. He opened the case and popped the DVD into the player.

He smiled as the first few chords of "The Touch" started playing. Only Syrus would know that was his favorite. He'd once mentioned to Atem and Atticus that he liked _Transformers_ when he was younger, but he didn't let on more than that. Atticus had a tendency to share random details with fangirls and blind dates.

 _You got the touch_

 _You got the power_

The opening effects cleared, revealing a picture of Zane and Syrus when they were kids. They each held an Autobot toy and had the biggest grins on their faces.

 _After all is said and done_

 _You've never walked, you've never run_

 _You're a winner_

 _You got the moves, you know the streets_

 _Break the rules, take the heat_

 _You're nobody's fool_

 _You're at your best when the going gets rough_

 _You've been put to the test, but it's never enough_

The image morphed to one of him dueling one of the kids in their neighborhood. Back then, Zane used a basic machine deck. He didn't start using Cyber Dragon until he made it to the dojo. The picture spun, showing the photo Candace had taken right before Zane began his Cyber-Style training. He remembered Syrus chasing after him with the Optimus Prime toy. "So Optimus would look after him," he had said. Zane chuckled at how childish they were. Especially when the next picture was the two of them wrestling in the living room.

Then image shifted to Zane destroying the other kids in the neighborhood. Syrus stood in the background, glasses framing his large eyes as he watched.

That was a turning point in their relationship.

Zane was an elite duelist, fighting with everything he had and expecting his opponents to do the same. To hold back was to disrespect the opponent. Respect to the cards and the opponent was all that mattered. The only way to improve was to keep pushing the limit. If someone couldn't understand how to play their cards, then he had no right to call himself a duelist.

He didn't see the wedge growing between him and his brother.

 _You got the touch_

 _You got the power_

 _When all hell's breaking lose_

 _You'll be riding the eye of the storm_

 _You got the heart_

 _You got the motion_

 _You know that when things get too tough_

 _You got the touch_

The next image showed him facing off with Atem that first time at the national tournament. Atem forced him to summon monsters he rarely used, and Zane did the same to him. No one ever pushed him quite as hard as Atem did. The pictured morphed into an artwork of him riding Cyber End Dragon. That was obviously Chumley's handiwork.

The image then shifted to Spirit Day freshman year. Embracing his _Transformers_ love just a little, he had dressed as the Machine King. No one had known it was him until Atticus ripped off his helmet.

He immediately regretted giving his identity to Bickuribox Atticus and Black Luster Soldier Atem after Slifer's costume contest. Right after that, someone had snapped a picture of the three of them. Atticus's expression showed his glee at the turn of the events, while Zane and Atem showed their enthusiasm at drawing attention that way.

Another of Chumley's artwork's appeared. This one showed Zane standing in the middle with Atem and Atticus on either side of him. Cyber End Dragon, Black Luster Soldier, and Panther Warrior hovered above them.

Atem and Atticus pushed him in ways he didn't think possible. Atem made him to improve his dueling skills. It was expected from the son of the King of Games. Not that being a Muto ever went to his head. If anything, comparing the father and son always elicited an eye-roll from the Prince.

Atticus pulled him out of his comfort zone more and more with every crazy idea he had. He made their days memorable, making Zane and Atem expand their social circles and veer dangerously close to the line of trouble. The line that Atticus crossed on a very regular basis.

The three of them were inseparable, and when Atticus disappeared, it shattered everything they had.

 _You never bend, you never break_

 _You seem to know just what it takes_

 _You're a fighter_

 _It's in the blood, it's in the will_

 _It's in the mighty hands of steel_

 _When you're standing your ground_

 _And you never get hit when your back's to the wall_

 _Gonna fight to the end and you're taking it all_

The pictures morphed to another duel with Atem, this one from their second year. Drifting apart after Atticus's disappearance, it was the first time they had squared off that year, fighting for the right to represent the Academy in the School Duel. That time, Zane was the one to come out on top. Their rivalry was the only source of interaction between them at that point.

The image then shifted to him taking on North Academy's representative. Cyber Twin Dragon blasted the opposing monster, eliminating his opponent's LifePoints. He was unsurprised that time with the prize, having seen it when Atem had won the previous year. Zane still didn't understand the point of Miss Duel Academy. With the brief encounters he had with Mr. and Mrs. Kaiba, he guessed they didn't either.

Another artwork appeared, this one showing Chimeratech Overdragon being smothered by Kuribohs. Someone must have told Chumley about the time Atem countered Power Bond with the fuzzballs. Zane still kicked himself every time he thought of that duel. He'd taken into account everything on the field. He failed to think Atem might have Kuriboh hiding in his hand.

He failed to share what little he knew of Atticus's disappearance with his friend.

 _You got the touch_

 _You got the power_

 _When all hell's breaking lose_

 _You'll be riding the eye of the storm_

 _You got the heart_

 _You got the motion_

 _You know that when things get too tough_

 _You got the touch_

Alexis appeared next to him at the lighthouse. The two of them always met there after she ran into him on her way to the abandoned dorm. She became like the little sister he never had. He found himself sharing with her stories of Atticus their freshman year. They seldom caught her off-guard. She was more surprised at the instances Zane and Atem took as revenge for her brother's schemes against them.

The image faded, and Cyber Dragon faced off against Elemental Hero Thunder Giant. Zane's first duel with Jaden. He wasn't sure what to think of Jaden and Mana when he'd met them. They were impulsive, and they didn't like how his relationship with Syrus had gone. Mana told him off when they met, fitting the descriptions Atem had given of his sister.

Jaden challenged him to a duel right then and there. Zane smirked to himself. Yeah, one more move, and Zane would have been in a lot of trouble.

 _You're fighting fire with fire_

 _You know you've got the touch_

 _You're at your best when the going gets rough_

 _You've been put to the test but it's never enough_

The photo spun and revealed the eight chosen to wield the Spirit Keys. He and Atem were the only seniors among them, showing the potential of the freshman class.

Zane's mind flashed to his duel with Camula. He knew her strategy from watching Dr. Crowler's duel. He knew to watch for Zombie Bat, Infernalvania, and Vampire Genesis. He kept control the entire duel, never losing any LifePoints, forcing her back into a corner.

Forcing her to gamble with his brother's soul.

His hand curled into a fist, the anger, fear and helplessness rushing back as Camula's double held Syrus hostage. Zane could have won. He had Overload Fusion in his hand. All he needed was one more draw, one more machine monster. But that would have meant losing Syrus forever.

It was a move he could never make.

The image morphed to the last Spirit Day. Atticus and Zane didn't dress up—since Zane swore never again after the Machine King incident—but Atem stood in the center dressed as Timaeus. Zane wasn't sure what to make of the character that had no card, but it reflected Atem's deck of warriors.

The trio was finally back together.

Cyber End Dragon squared off with Shining Flare Wingman, signifying Zane's final duel as an Academy student. Jaden definitely could handle being the top student, despite what everyone would think of his Slifer rank. Zane sure didn't see Final Fusion coming.

 _You got the touch_

 _You got the power_

Syrus was the first to congratulate them. His best friend and his brother had fought one of the most intense duels the school had ever seen. Zane couldn't have asked for a better duel to end his Academy career.

The slideshow shifted to candid shots of his friends. Syrus, Jaden, and an unfamiliar Ra with a dinosaur hat—probably the Hassleberry Syrus mentioned—in the Slifer Dorm.

Mana grinned at him with Chazz, a blond guy, and girl with her brown hair pulled into a clip. The girl he'd met briefly at Spirit Day. _So they're Joan and Max_. Atem often mentioned the trouble his sister got into with the cousins.

Alexis and Atticus held up victory signs as they smiled. Zane rolled his eyes at one of Atticus's V's behind Alexis's head, giving the blonde bunny ears.

Chumley sat at a desk with Maximillion Pegasus. Zane's eyes widened at the sight of the Duel Monsters creator. He certainly didn't have anything to do with Zane. But with the rumors of Pegasus's eccentricities, he probably walked in when Chumley was working on the project and insisted on joining in.

Atem leaned against a wall, giving his signature thumbs-up. They would have to face each other again on the circuit at some point. They'd see then who was really better.

 _You got the touch_

 _You got the power_

The song ended, and the last image transformed into a message. _You've got the touch, Zane. And we're with you all the way._

Zane smiled as the message from his friends faded with the last chords of the song. It was hard to believe all of them went out of their way to send him that. And all because Syrus asked them to help. Even those who hadn't even met Zane.

 _I'm not the only one with the touch, Sy._


End file.
